Electronic signal-processing often entails processing both analog and digital signals, sometimes called mixed-signal processing. Some sensors or transducers as well as natural properties or attributes, such as temperature, pressure, and the like, either constitute analog quantities or, in the case of sensors, often produce analog signals. Also, some transducers generate analog signals as their output signals.
Conversely, signal-processing circuits and building blocks increasingly use digital signals and digital techniques for reasons such as repeatability, stability, flexibility, and the like, as person of ordinary skill in the art understand. Typically, to interface the signal-processing circuits with analog circuits, signal conversion circuits are used.
One type of signal conversion circuit constitutes analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). ADCs are typically used to accept an analog signal as an input signal, and to provide a digital signal as an output signals. Thus, ADCs can provide an interface between analog circuits, such as transducers, sensors, or other circuits, and digital processing circuits or digital circuits in general.
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